Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 70 of 1,110

PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

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ACHARY TAYLOR,
the twelfth
President of the
United States,
1849-'50, was born
in Orange County,
t 0 1' Virginia, Septem
I ~ ,ber 24, 1784. His father,
Richard Taylor, was Colot
nel of a Virginia regiment
in the Revolutionary war,
and removed to Kentucky
in 1785; purchased a large
plantation near Louisville
and became an influential citizen;
was a member of the convention that
framed the Constitution of Kentucky; served
in both branches of the Legislature; was
Collector of the port of Louisville under
President Washington; as a Presidential
elector, voted for Jefferson, Madison, Monroe
and Clay; died January I9,I829.
Zachary remained on his father's plantation
until I808, in which year (May 3) he
was appointed First Lieutenant in the
Seventh Infantry, to fill a vacancy occasioned
by the death of his elder brother,
Hancock. Up to this point he had received
but a limited education.
Joining his regiment at New Orleans, he

was attacked with yellow fever, with nearly
fatal termination. In November, I8Io, he
was promoted to Captain, and in the summer
of 1812 he was in command of Fort
Harrison, on the left bank of the Wabash
River, near the present site of Terre Haute,
his successful defense of which with but a
handful of men against a large force of
Indians which had attacked him was one of
the first marked military achievements of
the war. He was then brevetted Major,
and in I814 promoted to the full rank.
During the remainder of the war Taylor
was actively employed on the Western
frontier. In the peace organization of 815
he was retained as Captain, but soon after
resigned and settled near Louisville. In.
May, I816, however, he re-entered the army
as Major of the Third Infantry; became
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Eighth Infantry
in I819, and in 1832 attained the Colonelcy
of the First Infantry, of which he had been
Lieutenant-Colonel since I82I. On different
occasions he had been called to Washington
as member of a military board for organizing
the militia of the Union, and to aid the
Government with his knowledge in the
organization of the Indian Bureau, having
for many years discharged the duties of
Indian agent over large tracts of Western